Tuesday, May 27, 2025

Hekate's Deipnon

It is an offering, a meal set out for Hekate and the ghosts in her care, distributed as she sees fit. Traditionally, the meal is left at a crossroads. However, it can be left on an altar or in another sacred space. Last night, I placed it on an altar just outside my apartment. Garlic, a pancake made with herbs and honey, and incense were the gifts I offered.

I was exhausted. My body ached, and my mind was obscured by a fibromyalgia-induced fog. I felt guilty. My heart was there, but I thought I was not in the right space to make the offering.

The guilt sprang from a place of idealism and an expectation that every offering, ritual, and spell must be perfect for it to be worthy of acceptance and effect. It is the trauma of religious conditioning. Growing up in an imminent rapture cult, there were so many barriers to approaching a god who supposedly called people to come as you are. My prayers and offerings needed screening to ensure they were good enough and worthy enough for their god.

I sat with this for some time, considering its implications and effect on my practice. It was baggage that I no longer needed to carry. Witchcraft isn't perfect and clean. I went back out and offered the following prayer:

I offer this, as I am. Imperfect in practice and understanding. Learning and unlearning. Better on some days than others. But every day, here I am. May this offering be pleasing to You. Hail Hekate.

The worry of offering my gifts incorrectly left me. My intention was right. My spirit was right. In that moment, I felt clearly that my gifts were accepted.


Friday, May 23, 2025

The Proclamation of the Social Media Witch

I find in the unsolicited proclamations of what witchcraft is and is not, the confession of what that person needs it to be. Often, what they need is a supportive and inclusive community—stability in an unstable world. They need to be heard and validated, assured they are not crazy.

Other times, they need a safe place, so they speak with authority in the hope of manifesting their vision of witchcraft. Others have yet to work through the trauma of past conditioning, synthesizing what they know with what they believe with what they are discovering—sometimes, unintentionally inviting in toxic patterns.

Please know, I mean no harm. This is not a casting of judgment, but an observation.

I find witchcraft to be multifaceted and complex. It isn't always clear or pretty. It can be messy, ugly, and frightful, but it is, in a way, ours—if we apprehend it. It can be what we need it to be, but we must be careful not to confine it.

Tuesday, May 6, 2025

Where I'm From -- Written for a Credentialing Celebration

I’m from
years of mirrors
reflecting back at me
the worst of my fears:
that I’ll grow up
to be just like him.

I’m from
long nights at sea
a million miles away
witnessing the worst—
and best of humanity.
Open heart and open arms
I confronted misery,
and learned to bring healing
to them and me.

I’m from
broken promises
a tarnished ring
by inner darkness,
costing nearly everything.

I’m from
this road ain’t easy.

I’m from
hard knocks,
knocked down,
knocked out,
until I stopped fighting myself,
until I embraced that
the life I lived—
isn’t solely for me.

I’m from
growing up
and finding my purpose
stitched in a lifelong dream
from which I was running,
believing the lies in the mirror:
that it was never meant to be.

But here I am,
and here I stand,
humbled in the presence
of those who believed in me,
even when I didn’t believe
in myself.

I’m from
my wife who cheered
and chided me along—
never shy to tell me
whenever I was wrong.
My son and daughters
who taught me to be a dad,
and not just a father.

I’m from
brilliant, beautiful minds,
both here and elsewhere;
and from mentors
who made me better than I am.

I’m from
Dr. Kevin Cordi,
and Mrs. Bernadette Hamilton,
who in grade nine
caught me in time,
without whom
 I wouldn’t be here,
without whom 
I wouldn’t be here.

I’m from
finally acknowledging
my gifts
and seizing my dream,
and realizing the life I live
isn’t for me,
but for redeeming,
teaching,
and helping to build up
humans who are better
than I could ever be.